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KMID : 0858620030070020141
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Korean Journal of Audiology
2003 Volume.7 No. 2 p.141 ~ p.146
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An Audiometric Evaluation of Hallucination in Schizophrenia
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Nam Eui-Cheol
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Abstract
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Background and Objectives: Although the definitions of subjective tinnitus and auditory hallucination are very similar, the origins and underlying causes of each symptom are obviously different. The aim of this study is to elucidate whether the differentiation of tinnitus from auditory hallucination is necessary for the proper management of these symptoms in schizophrenic patients.
Materials and Method: We investigated the characteristics of hallucination in fifteen schizophrenic patients, and measured their pure-tone hearing levels and auditory brain-stem responses (ABR).
Results: The average hearing level was 20.6±16.2 dB with mild decrease in the high-frequency range. According to the characteristics of hallucination, we classified them into three groups of pure hallucination, tinnitus, and hallucination plus tinnitus. Eight cases (53.3%) complained of pure hallucination and only one of them demonstrated a mild hearing loss. Hearing deficits were more frequently observed in seven patients with tinnitus or hallucination plus tinnitus, and six of those patients turned out to have related otologic problems. Abnormal findings of ABR were found only in pure-hallucination group, indicating that the pathologic mechanisms of central auditory pathway are involved in the perception of hallucination rather than tinnitus.
Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that tinnitus should be differentiated from hallucination in the evaluation and treatment of schizophrenic patients.
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KEYWORD
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Tinnitus, Hallucination, Schizophrenia, Hearing
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